Seoul boosts efforts for use of renewable energy

Seoul Metropolitan Government plans to double the proportion of new public facilities using renewable energy sources from the current 10 percent to 20 percent by 2014.

The city said it will make use of geothermal and solar energy and solar heat and also install energy-efficient insulating and ventilating systems to make city buildings greener.

These efforts are expected to reduce the use of fossil fuels, which now take up 90 percent of the entire energy consumption, to 60 percent. From the second half of this year, all public buildings are required to use light-emitting diodes.

Seoul announced last week that it will install solar panels in 200 schools this year and 1,000 by 2014.

By Kim Young-won (wone0102@heraldcorp.com)